Linkless french cuff



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United States Patent 3,419,908 LINKLESS FRENCH CUFF Dino Germani, 17 Chaucer St, Providence, RI. 02908 Filed Oct. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 590,693 US. Cl. 2123 6 Claims Int. Cl. A41b 7/00 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A French cuff for a shirt which comprises an impervious inner and outer surface. The cuff has an inner fold and an outer fold. The inner fold and the outer fold are adapted to be secured together by permanently afiixed fasteners which are secured to the inner surface of the cuff and the cuff is adapted to be secured at its ends by permanently affixed fasteners which are invisible during the Wearing of the shirt.

This invention relates generally to shirts and more particularly to a French cuff therefor.

One of the inconveniences that a male must bear with when getting dressed is the loss or misplacement of one or both of his cuff links after he has completely buttoned up his shirt and placed on his tie. Well-dressed men have accepted this annoyance due to the fact that shirts having French cuffs are considered a more dressy shirt than the barrel cuff.

Shirt manufacturers have sought to relieve men of the burden of using cuff links for the fastening of French cuffs due to the tendency of cuff links to be lost or mislaid so easily by providing convertible cuffs which may be either buttoned in a barrel cuff or which may be fastened by cuff links in a French cuff. While these cuffs look satisfactory in the barrel style, they do not look well in the French style because they do not have the characteristic bulk and finish of a conventional French cuff.

In addition to getting lost when men are dressing, cuff links have for years prevented men from rolling up their sleeves at the office because of the ease with which they are lost when not in place in the openings of the shirt cuffs.

Permanently affixed fasteners have been used on French cuffs for fastening the cuffs together when worn. However, because a set of fasteners must be affixed to each shirt, the quality of the fasteners is necessarily fair to poor; otherwise, the price of the shirt is greatly increased. Therefore, the French cuffs which use permanent fasteners have not had the quality look which is required when one is dressed formally.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved French cuff which obviates the need for cuff links.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved French cuff having permanent fasteners affixed thereto for securing the ends of the French cuff together.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved French cuff having an impervious outer surface which is secured together by permanently afiixed fasteners.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved French cuff which obviates the requirement of cuff links and which includes permanently affixed fasteners which are invisible when said French cuff is secured together.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved by providing a French cuff for a shirt, said cuff comprising an impervious inner and outer surface, said cuff having an inner fold and an outer fold, said inner fold and said outer fold adapted to be secured together by permanently affixed fasteners secured to said inner surface of said cuff and said cuff adapted to be secured together at its ends by permanently afiixed fasteners.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a shirt embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the outer surface of a French cuff embodying the invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the inner surface of a French cuff embodying the invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the French cuff having been incompletely folded; and

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view showing the French cuff folded completely with one fastening operation remaining.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein similar reference characters refer to similar parts, a shirt embodying the present invention is shown generally at 10 in FIG. 1.

Shirt 10 is, with the exception of the cuffs, preferably a conventional dress shirt and includes a pair of full length sleeves 12 and 14. Attached to the ends of sleeves 12 and 14 are French cuffs 16 and 18, respectively, which embody the invention. For purposes of more clearly illus trating the invention in FIG. 1, cuff 16 is shown in its finished or folded and fastened state whereas cuff 18 is shown open or unfolded.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 wherein plan views are shown of the outer surface and the inner surface, respectively, of the French cuff 16, it can be seen that the French cuff is generally rectangular and includes an outer surface 20 and an inner surface 22. It should be noted that the outer and inner surfaces of the French cuff do not correspond to the inner surface and outer surfaces of the sleeves in that the French cuff is folded back upon itself. Thus, the inner surface of the sleeve is continuous with the outer surface of the French cuff.

The inner and outer surfaces of the French cuff are each preferably comprised of a layer of cloth which are secured to each other by stitching. The outer surface at least of the French cuff is preferably of a fine grade finished material in that it is adapted to be visible below the sleeve of an outer jacket.

The French cuff is adapted to be folded along a transversely extending fold line 24 which is shown in phantom in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the portion shown below fold line 24 comprises an outer fold 26 and the portion above the fold line 24 forms the inner fold 28 of the French cuff.

It should be noted that both the inner and outer surfaces of the French cuff 16 are impervious. The inner surface 22 includes a pair of male snap fastening elements 30 and 32 which are spaced from each other and are disposed at opposite corners adjacent the lowermost edge 34 of the French cuff. A pair of female snap fastening elements 36 and 38 are secured to the inner surface 22 at opposite sides of inner fold 28 adjacent the uppermost edge 40 of the French cuff. The female elements of the snap fasteners 36 and 38 are aligned with the male elements 30 and 32, respectively. The male and female fastening elements are secured to the inner surface 22 of the French cuff equally spaced from the fold line 24. Thus, by folding the outer fold 26 against the inner fold 28 about fold line 24 in the direction of arrows 42 and 44 in FIG. 4, fastening element 30 is aligned with element 3 36 as is fastening element 32 with element 38. The elements may then be pressed together until they are snapped together and thereby provide securement between the inner and outer folds of the French cuff.

The outer surface 26 of French cuff 16 includes a male fastening element 46 on inner fold 28 adjacent a first lateral edge 48 of the French cuff and a female element 50 at the opposite end of the inner fold adjacent a lateral edge 52 of the cuff.

Fastening elements 46 and 50 are horizontally aligned with each other and are adapted to be fastened to each other when the French cuff is wrapped about and engages the wrist of the user. Thus, as best seen in FIG. 4, fastening elements 46 and 50 are shown in phantom fastened to each other to secure the ends of the French cuff together.

In use, a wearer preferably folds the outer fold 26 against the inner fold 22 about fold line 24. The user then may snap together the fasteners 30, 36 and 32, 38. The fastener 46, 50 may also be fastened first. The remaining fasteners are then fastened together. Thus, where the inner fastener 46, 50 has been snapped together, the remaining fasteners may be snapped together as shown in FIG. by snapping, for example, male fastener 30 against female fastener 36 in the direction of arrow 54. French cuff 18 is, of course, similar to French cuff 16.

It can therefore be seen that the resultant French cuff has a smooth finish, yet has the characteristic look and bulk of a French cuff. By providing an impervious outer fold, the use of cuff links or inexpensive fasteners is obviated. That is, the French cuff extends below the end of the sleeve of an outer coat and provides the look of a French cuff. The ornamentation of the shirt is not detracted from by inexpensive fasteners as have prior art French cuffs which are permanently fastened to the shirt. Further, the French cuff provides a neat appearance without the need of further ornamentation.

The shirt sleeves may be rolled up when at work or in a warm room without fear of losing cuff links. Even more importantly, putting on a French cuffed shirt embodying the invention will not be encumbered by having to search for cufi? links.

It should be noted that the fasteners on the inner surface 22 of the French cuff are placed adjacent the uppermost and lowermost edges of the cuff. Therefore, when the cuff is folded back and the fasteners are secured together, the inner fold and outer fold are tightly secured together and there is little probability of the French cuff rolling apart due to frictional engagement between the outer old of the cuff against the inner surface of the sleeve of an outer coat. Also, the fastening elements 46 and 50 are so disposed on the outer surface of inner fold 28 that when the elements 46 and 50 are snapped together, the ends of the French cuff are urged against 4 each other as best seen in FIG. 5. The fastener 46, is therefore invisible from the outside of the cuff.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention, that others may by applying current or future knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A French cuff for a shirt, said cuff comprising an impervious inner and outer surface, said cuff having an inner fold and an outer fold, said inner fold and said outer fold adapted to be secured together by permanently affixed fasteners secured to said inner surface of said cuff and said cuff adapted to be secured together at its ends by permanently affixed fasteners, said fasteners being invisible during the wearing of said shirt.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said fasteners on said inner surface include a first pair of spaced releasably engaging fastening elements disposed adjacent the lowermost edge of said cuffs and a second pair of releasably engaging fastener elements aligned with said first pair and disposed along the uppermost edge of said cuffs.

3. The invention of claim 1 wherein said fastener for closing said cuff is comprised of a male element and a female element provided at opposite ends of the outer surface of said inner fold.

4. A French cuff for a shirt, said cuff being generally rectangular and comprising an inner fold and an outer fold, the inner surface of said inner fold including a first pair of spaced releasable fastening elements disposed adjacent the uppermost end of said cuff, said outer fold having a second pair of spaced releasable fastening elements on its inner surface, said second pair being aligned with said first pair and being disposed adjacent lowermost edge of said cuff, said inner fold being secured to said outer fold by said first and second pair of fastening elements, said inner fold including on its outer surface a third pair of releasable fastening elements, each of said third pair of elements being disposed adjacent an opposite lateral edge on said inner fold so that snapping said third pair of fastening elements completes the closure of said cuff.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said outer surface of said outer fold is impervious.

6. The invention of claim 4 wherein said inner surface and said outer surface of said cuff are impervious.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,248,332 11/1917 Isenhour 2l39 X 2,482,671 9/1949 Kennedy 2123 2,524,448 10/1950 Kaplan 2123 2,997,718 8/1961 Jacobs 2139 JAMES R. BOLER, Primaiy Examiner. 

